Artist Interview: Ray Sikes

Do you have a formal art education or are you a self taught artist: I have an M.A. in design and a BFA in painting and drawing

What is the style of your pieces: figurative abstraction

What is the medium in which you work: oil on canvas, wood or leather

What started you on your path as an artist: I do not remember, but I do remember taking private drawing lessons when I was in grade school

What is one of the most important things that art has brought to your life: a sense of peace, satisfaction and completion

What is your favorite genre of art besides the one you work in: sculpture

Do you have art showings, and if so what are they typically like: I do and they have been in educational institutions and private galleries.

Do you have a certain set of clothes you make art in: Well, since I paint with oil paints, I wear old jeans and a shirt, but I also have an painters apron.

What has been the most frustrating part of being an artist? Since I still work as a gallery director for an educational institution, finding time to be in my studio is very hard.

What is your favorite sandwich of all time: liverwurst on rye with mayo and red onions with a nice cold beer on the side

Has this year brought about any changes in your work, and if so what are they: Yes, I am moving into a much loser mode of stretching and framing my work. I used to do stretcher bars and canvas in squares and rectangles with frames, but now my surfaces on somewhat free form and the frame and stretcher bar have merged into one piece. In my last set of paintings, I found tree branches, tied them together with leather and stretched my free form canvas between them.

Who is your favorite artist alive or dead: Toulouse-Lautrec

What is the most moving piece of artwork that you have seen in person: The stage sets for and the drama of the House of Atreus at the Tyron Guthrie Playhouse in Minneapolis.

Do you have any animals, and what do they think of your work: I have no animals.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions you would like to share with us: I will have an exhibition of my work at the Pearce Civil War and Western Art Museum in Corsicana, TX in October.www.behance.net/rsikes rsikes@uttyler.edu